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One-time haven for arts, deviants is no more

By Justin Rocket Silverman, amNewYork Staff Writer | jsilverman@am-ny.com

October 5, 2007

When Tama Janowitz published the bestselling "Slaves of New York" in 1986, the city seemed a place where deviants and artists of all income levels could find community.

"There was a sense that anything was possible in the city," Janowitz said last week. "You could be young and not from a rich family, and just jump onto this creative wave."

On Wednesday night, the author joined other thinkers at a panel discussion called "Is New York Losing its Soul," part of the Municipal Art Society's Jane Jacobs exhibition.

The debate centered around the city's evolution away from its role as an haven for the arts. Rocco Landesman, president of Jujamcyn Theaters, told how many smaller Broadway theaters were selling their air rights in order to remain viable, and how many visiting productions can now only afford to stay in the city for a few days, rather than the few weeks they used to.

Janowitz remembered a time when the city "was not a shopping mall," but also pointed out that the city is cyclical, and that the old New York, for better or worse, may one day return.

"When I was here in the '80s, we all bemoaned the fact that we had missed the '60s, when the art world was really alive," Janowitz said.

"Today there is a sense of longing for the '80s. What I'm saying is, don't spend all your time thinking the modern era is worthless. Pay attention to what is happening right now, all around you."